It took me a while to warm up to this book. But in the end, I loved how it was tidied up and how each character evolved. I will say the character development was a bit confusing and the book did not suck me in, but I did love the trio’s relationships with each other and then with June. It was a nice summer read, I always enjoy KWH’s wholesome storylines! Thank you to netgalley.com and the publisher for this ARC in trade for my honest review.

Such a great book! I never wanted it to end. Don't miss this excellent story!

The characters were successful women that had gone to summer camp together when they were young. They became friends and the friendship lasted into adulthood. Their friendship was a gift that they all treasured and they did life together.

I loved the way that Kristy Woodson Harvey would hint about their past and then eventually tell you the details from their past. It really made me wonder what had happened that would cause them to feel or react the way they did.

This story is so well written and just makes you want to keep reading to see what will happen next. Now I wish I had gone to summer camp!!

This is the perfect summer read, in my opinion! Four friends who met at summer camp are now in their 30's and still as close as ever. It's a story of true friendship, but it doesn't go along without problems. There is addiction, theft, and abandonment involved in the storyline, but mostly, friendship shines through. I would highly recommend this novel. I haven't read any other books by Kristy Woodson Harvey but I'll definitely be on the lookout to add them to my list. Thank you NetGalley and HaperCollins publishing for the advanced copy of this book in return for my honest opinion.

One of my summer books this year. This story focuses on a group of women that have been friends since childhood and they come together as adults to save their summer camp.

Three little girls form a summer camp bond that lasts through the years. As children they faced problems which they weathered through their friendships and this continues throughout their adult years. Their relationships with families, lovers and friends waxes and wanes. There were a lot of characters to keep straight and occasionally the story felt contrived. But in the end it all comes right.

Full of nostalgia and completely heartwarming.

Some books just ooze summer… that “surrounded by your favorite people, porch sitting, sweet tea drinking, watching the fireflies dance in the yard” kind of feeling… and KWH’s newest book does exactly that while reminding me why I long for summer all year long.

I never went to camp. To be honest, I’ve never been a “bunkbed, sleep in nature” kind of gal. The mosquitos. The inescapable heat and humidity. Blah.

Yet Harvey painted a picture of sun kissed days full of friendship and comradery that I wanted to be a part of, mosquitoes and bunkbeds be damned! How is it that I felt such a deep longing for a time/place I never experience? It’s safe to say that Harvey wields quite the book magic!

At its heart, this is a tale of sisterhood. Daphne, Lanier, and Mary Stuart have one of those tried-and-true bonds forged through years of seeing each other through their best and worst. They are the embodiment of chosen family.

Harvey created this triumvirate fully authentic and so genuine that I struggled to decide if I wanted to be a part of their circle or reach out to my own “framily” (family + friend). Honestly, the answer is both.

While the friendship bond takes centerstage, the romance isn’t to be missed. Second chance isn’t normally my favorite trope, but I was fully on board with Daphne and Huff finding their way back together. It was a wholly unique family dynamic (Daphne, baby-daddy, son + Huff) that I didn’t know I needed.

The theme of forgiveness runs throughout the story. From broken family dynamics to lies and deceit to meddling in other people’s business (Lanier!!!) to past failures. This book reminds that there’s no great gift to others or self than true forgiveness.

This book was just the feel good read I need. It tugged at my heartstrings and left me uplifted. Throw this one in your pool bag for the perfect light summer read.

🎧 This was a book I want to lose myself in, and the cast narration by Jennifer Jill Araya, Reena Dutt, and Jackie Sanders made that easy to do. The three distinct voices amplified the three points of views, and accentuated that southern dynamic running through the pages.

This is definitely the feel good read of the summer and brought back all the summer camp feels. I love how the story is told in different perspectives and timelines that blend together seamlessly to create a story of lives that are totally r elatable. There's so much real life packed in, but also the magic of lifelong friendships, family, and romance. The perfect read for these lazy (or not) days of summer.

The Summer of Songbirds would be perfect to take on your final vacation of the summer! First, I loved the small town and camp settings — both were picturesque. I also liked how the book touched on hard topics such as addiction, debt, and trauma as it added extra depth to the story. The flashbacks were also a nice touch, and I actually found them more interesting than the present day storyline. Additionally, I’m a sucker for precocious kid characters, and Henry certainly fit the bill. Finally, the ending was extra sweet, and I thought it was perfect for the overall plot.

However, I really struggled with the characters. I thought most of the main characters were somewhat unlikeable, and the relationships were either boring or toxic. Mary Stuart was the best character, and we didn’t even get her POV. Lastly, the pacing was off. Sometimes things happened abruptly while other things were drawn out for way too long. Overall, The Summer of Songbirds is worth the read if you enjoy books focused on female friendships.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (3.5 stars)

Title: The Summer of Songbirds
Author: Kristy Woodson Harvey
Narrated by: Jennifer Jill Araya, Reena Dutt, and Jackie Sanders
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Length: Approximately 10 hours and 58 minutes
Source: Review Copy from Simon & Schuster Audio. Thank you @simonandschuster #BookClubFavorites for the free books!

Did you go to summer camp growing up? I always wanted to, but it was too expensive. I did go to a couple of church campouts, and they were a lot of fun.

Three women met as young girls at Camp Holly Springs and became lifetime friends. Now as adults they are shocked to learn that the camp is going to close. June Moore has run the camp for many years and is sad about its closing, but is happy that her niece Daphne and friends, Lanier and Mary Stuart are back with ideas on how to keep it open. They are all going through interesting periods of their lives. Mary Stuart has just gotten married. Lanier is engaged but can’t help thinking of the one who got away. Daphne is also thinking about the one who got away, Lanier’s brother. Lanier doesn’t want Huff and Daphne to get back together, but will their hearts let them give up love a second time?

This story was told from three points of view: Lanier, Daphne, and June. I thought it was interesting that June was one of the narrators rather than the third person in the friend trio, Mary Stuart. I also love how they always call her Mary Stuart with her first and last name. The audiobook had three different narrators which provided each book narrator with their own unique voice, which I enjoyed.

I thought the story was entertaining and light. I loved that it explored friendship and growing up. I loved how the women had a great time as children at the camp and wonderful memories to fall back on. I liked that they were there to support each other during hard times and that they could still learn as adults that they can make changes and move on from mistakes. I loved the theme of found family. The epilogue tied up everything perfectly. It was a perfect summer read.

There is just so much to love about this book! The setting felt like such a perfect summer getaway. The characters and the different POV provided such a well rounded story. I have loved many of Kristy Woodson Harvey's books and this one might be one of my favorites so far!

Thank you, NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of The Summer of Songbirds by Kristy Woodson Harvey. I absolutely adored this book! This book has so much nostalgia in it, along with all the struggles of present day. The friendships in this book are so realistic. This book was so well done.

The Summer of Songbirds by Kristy Woodson Harvey was a delight of nostalgia and a nod to found family and strong friendship. I loved the rallying and hard things these girls (women) did for one another through their lives. The camaraderie and magic of summer camp were beautiful (and very, very far outside my own experience at sleepaway camp!) The characters and dynamics of found family are well crafted while the setting and pacing were fairly encompassing.

I read this one on the beach last week. Halfway through, I looked up to see a sailboat ⛵️ across the lake (which you can barely see in the pictures) and felt like I was transported to Camp Holly Springs!

🏕️We all have that place where we belong, where we feel safe. For Daphne, Lanier and Mary Stuart that place is Camp Holly Springs, which is ran by Daphne’s Aunt June. But after thirty years, June is in jeopardy of losing the camp, which is one of the only places Daphne has ever felt safe due to a very rough childhood. So the three friends team up to save the camp, and themselves.

🏕️With second chances for love and believing in yourself, to the family you create in this world and the friends that are more like family, this book has a lot of heart. A summer book with a lot of substance…this is what a beach read should be!

Five rock solid chickery stars for The Summer of Songbirds. A beautiful and fulfilling read. It touched my inner womanhood and satisfied the love of true friendship over the decades and disasters and triumphs of life. A great break from darker reads. I could not put this down. I was cheering for Camp Holly Springs to be saved by three women who found friendship at the age of six while attending this summer camp. Their friendship was forever bonded and maintained through the decades. Pasts are met face on. Present holds secrets. Multiple POV. Fingers crossed for movie. Thank you NetGalley Galley books for ARC

The Summer of Songbirds came to me just when I needed it. This was a wonderful story about friendship, second chances and love. It's sweet, it's sentimental and just a delightful read.

“That is why I choose her. Because she has always chosen me.”

Get ready for all the summer camp nostalgia with this one! Kristy Woodson Harvey took me straight back to my camp days. I could feel the internal tension as characters had to make decisions between saving a friend and ruining a career or how best to save their childhood summer home-away-from-home. I have yet to read a Harvey book I don’t like.

Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Read if you like:
Summer camp
Friendship stories
Any of KWH’s other books

Thank you Uplit Reads and Gallery Books for the #gifted book and Simon Audio for the ALC through Libro.fm.

This may very well be a top read of the year for me. The characters were so lovable. The storyline was so familiar without being repetitive. The whole story was just great!

Kristy Woodson Harvey has a knack for writing women characters and relationships that feel so authentic, you can't help falling in love with them. And while this story has romance, the women's friendships are the true heart and joy of this book.

This was such a sweet feel good read, with a little drama of course. This follows the story of 3 lifelong friends who met at summer camp and now must come together to save it.

This made me feel all the nostalgia of growing at summer camp and brought back all of those fond memories of my summers as a teenager. Those were the best!

A sweet, nostalgic, and atmospheric read. The essence of summer, friendship, and memories are stand-outs of this one. By the end I was very fond of the characters and their relationships with each other.

THE SUMMER OF SONGBIRDS is a great summer read and will pair well with beach days, camping trips, and reading on the porch.